Former church music director sentenced for sexual assault of a child

Gillespie pleads no contest

A Middleton man who is a former church music director was placed on 15 years of probation and a one year conditional jail sentence after pleading no contest to two counts of sexual assault of a child.

James A. "Alex" Gillespie, 48, of Middleton, appeared in Dane County Circuit Court Friday for sentencing.

Middleton police said the victim, a 14-year-old boy, was the victim in another local sexual assault case involving a Mount Horeb police lieutenant living in Madison.

The boy's late nights at Gillespie's condo in the 5500 block of Century Avenue prompted neighbors to grow suspicious, according to police.

The criminal complaint said the victim told police, "Yeah, we did something." He went on to tell detectives that Gillespie performed oral sex on him on several occasions, according to the complaint.

Initially, the victim told investigators he was 18 years old.

The detective who contacted the victim said he appeared to be younger than 18."Eventually they brought him back to the Police Department and ran a Fast ID on him -- digital fingerprints. We learned he was 14 and that he was a runaway from the Beloit area," said Capt. Charles Foulke, of the Middleton Police Department.

The victim had been missing from his Beloit home since October 2012, Middleton police said.

The victim said he told Gillespie that he was 18 years old and that Gillespie never questioned him about his age, school or anything like that, according to the complaint.

Police said their investigation of Gillespie began in December. Gillespie was fired from his position as music director at St. Luke's Lutheran Church in Middleton.

Police said Gillespie met the 14-year-old victim on a social media phone app known as Growler.

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